Florida White Rabbit – information and facts about the Florida White Rabbit Breed. Learn more about Florida White Rabbits in this article. Breed photos are included.
Known as an ‘all-purpose’ rabbit, the Florida White is a little white bunny that can serve across different purposes. And while it lacks a compelling story to tell when it comes to its uniqueness, the Florida White is still one of the best options for breeders who want rabbits with different utilities.
The Florida White can possibly expand its support base, thanks to the growing trend of ‘self sustainability in small spaces’ in American region.
Florida White Rabbit Facts
1. History
Around 1960s, Judge Orville Milikenthought about developing an all-purpose rabbit breed. Most importantly, he was thinking about a rabbit breed that would be great for family meat production, fur, and laboratory use. He carefully mated an albino Dutch, REW Polish, and a white New Zealand. As a result, he was able to produce a new breed that he named after his home state.
In the year 1967, the Florida White was accepted y the American Rabbit Breeders Association. After a decade only, the rabbit breed won its first BIS honors at an ARBA Convention. Dale Allison was the exhibitor at the said event. Judge Eabert “Fibber” MacGehee is noted as one of the most famous Florida White breeders of all time.
2. Characteristics and Appearance
The Florida White has a well-developed, cobby, compact-type body, like a smaller version of the New Zealand, with ear and head to balance. Their heads and ears are round and stocky. Both are well-furred.
The depth of its body is equal to the width throughout the shoulders, ribs, loins and hindquarters. Generally, they should be very firm and full.
Florida Whites have flyback coats that are set in tight and sleek pelts. The Florida has no other markings in the body. It has albino red eyes. In short, they would often be described as ‘white rabbits with pink eyes’.
3. Purpose
The Florida White is a meat rabbit. It s body is solidly built and packs 5 pounds of bunny on to a lightweight frame. The Florida White also boasts a dress out percentage that is hard to beat. Its litter size is usually 6 to 8 kits, a bit smaller when compared with the 8-12 litter size of a Californian or New Zealand.
Due to this smaller litter size, the Florida White is a very good option for a small family looking to supply the table. With Florida, they can keep the does in production but they can limit the meat just to what is needed.
The Florida White, as its name suggests, is also distinguished for its white fur.
This high-quality fur not only makes the pelt of the rabbit more useful, it also makes the meat lighter and more attractive compared to that of a dark colored rabbit.
The Florida Whites are also being used in laboratories.
But the primary purpose of a Florida White is for showing. If you breed a ruby-eyed white to another ruby-eyed white, the resulting offspring would be white. This means that a breeder has lesser concerns to worry about unshowable varieties and could redirect his attention in concentrating on perfecting the type and fur.
During the ARBA conventions, Florida White would often take the BIS honors because of its beautiful body type. The breed can achieve this 3 times at ARBA National Conventions.
4. Personality and Traits
Florida Whites have an easygoing and friendly temperament. This personality makes them a good choice for beginners since they are quite easy to handle. Still, it’s very important for a buyer to research about the entire breeder’s line before making a purchase since these traits surely have exceptions.
Despite this good temperament, Florida Whites are not that popular as pets. A major reason behind this is the fact that they don’t come in different colors, making them less exciting compared to other breeds.
Despite a clean white rabbit fur, Florida White doesn’t require special attention when it comes to grooming. An owner just needs to brush once a week, and that would suffice in removing the loose fur. However, during molting seasons, Florida Whites need more frequent grooming, about 2-3 times in a week.
It takes to raise one to get to know more about this versatile breed. As pure and gentle as it may look, the Florida White can serve many purposes beyond what the looks would say.